--- title: "Malibu vs Smuggler: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Malibu or Smuggler more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Boat brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/malibu-vs-smuggler" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Malibu vs Smuggler: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Malibu or Smuggler more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Boat brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Malibu and Smuggler - **Competitive set**: Boat brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Malibu Share of Search**: 3.2% - **Smuggler Share of Search**: 4.2% ## Is Malibu or Smuggler more popular in search? - In September 2026, Smuggler had more branded searches than Malibu among boat brands in New Zealand. Smuggler had about 350 branded searches, while Malibu had 260. Smuggler made up 4.2% of all boat brand searches we track, and Malibu accounted for 3.2%. - The lead changed hands 3 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Smuggler took it in June 2026, Malibu took it in July 2026, Smuggler took it in August 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Malibu’s share of searches among boat brands in New Zealand moved from 3.6% to 3.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 390 to 260. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Smuggler’s share of searches among boat brands in New Zealand moved from 2.6% to 4.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 280 to 350. ## Top boat brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, neither Malibu nor Smuggler showed up in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Stabicraft | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Surtees | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Senator Boats | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Extreme Boats | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Rayglass | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Haines Hunter | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Buccaneer | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Smuggler | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Malibu | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Quintrex | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about boat brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which boat brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Stabicraft, 2. Surtees, 3. Senator Boats, 4. Rayglass - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best boat brands in New Zealand?": 1. Stabicraft, 2. Surtees, 3. Extreme Boats, 4. Haines Hunter, 5. Rayglass, 6. Senator Boats, 7. Buccaneer - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best boat brand in New Zealand for trailering and fishing?": 1. Stabicraft, 2. Surtees, 3. Senator Boats, 4. Extreme Boats - Searched Google, AI Overview "boat brands nz": 1. Stabicraft, 2. Surtees, 3. Senator Boats, 4. Buccaneer - Searched Google, AI Overview "small boat brands": 1. Stabicraft, 2. Surtees, 3. Extreme Boats Not named in any answer: Smuggler, Malibu and Quintrex. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand boat brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Smuggler overtook Surtees to rank 6th among boat brands in New Zealand, with 4.2% of the searches. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Malibu in New Zealand fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 390 to 260 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Malibu estimated searches | Malibu Share of Search | Malibu rank | Smuggler estimated searches | Smuggler Share of Search | Smuggler rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 390 | 3.6% | 6 | 280 | 2.6% | 8 | | Nov 2025 | 480 | 3.7% | 6 | 360 | 2.8% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | 880 | 6.8% | 6 | 350 | 2.7% | 8 | | Jan 2026 | 1.6K | 8.7% | 6 | 430 | 2.3% | 8 | | Feb 2026 | 720 | 6% | 6 | 280 | 2.3% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | 480 | 4.3% | 7 | 270 | 2.4% | 9 | | Apr 2026 | 390 | 4.5% | 6 | 310 | 3.6% | 7 | | May 2026 | 320 | 3.4% | 7 | 260 | 2.8% | 8 | | Jun 2026 | 260 | 3.2% | 8 | 320 | 4% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 320 | 4.1% | 7 | 260 | 3.3% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | 260 | 2.8% | 8 | 320 | 3.4% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 260 | 3.2% | 8 | 350 | 4.2% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Malibu’s and Smuggler’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Malibu**: Measured on the search term “malibu boat”. - **Smuggler**: Measured on the search terms “smuggler boat”, “smuggler for sale” and “smuggler marine”, summed into one figure. - [Malibu profile](/demand/nz/brands/malibu) - [Smuggler profile](/demand/nz/brands/smuggler) - [All boat brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-boat-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Malibu or Smuggler more popular in search? In September 2026, Smuggler had more branded searches than Malibu among boat brands in New Zealand. Smuggler had about 350 branded searches, while Malibu had 260. Smuggler made up 4.2% of all boat brand searches we track, and Malibu accounted for 3.2%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Malibu vs Smuggler: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/malibu-vs-smuggler This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/malibu-vs-smuggler. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.